Hinged wall and ceiling anchor with fins and hinge

ABSTRACT

An anchoring fastener comprises, in one embodiment, a shaft ( 100 ) with straight and tapered portions, a tip ( 105 ) at the front end, cam follower surfaces ( 110, 111 ) at the rear end, a body ( 120 ) with a bore, a head ( 125 ) with a hole collinear with the bore in the body, and a pair of fins ( 115 ). The shaft and the body are joined at a bendable region by the fins. The anchor is fully inserted into wallboard ( 600 ) until the head comes into contact with the outer surface of the wallboard ( 610 ). The length of the body is approximately equal to the thickness of the wall. The fins slice into the wallboard, thereby preventing rotation of the anchor during and after insertion. An activating member ( 900 ), such as a screw or a pin, is inserted into the hole and bore and urged against the cam follower surfaces, thereby forcing the shaft to rotate until it comes into contact with the inner surface ( 615 ) of the wallboard. An object-holding washer ( 905 ), restrained by the activating member, is secured to the anchor which in turn is secured to the wallboard.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The following applications are related hereto: Ser. No. 11/747,093 ofthe present inventors and L. G. Brown, filed May 10, 2007, titledAnchoring Fastener With Movable Binding Member, and Ser. No. 11/850,896of the present inventors, filed Sep. 6, 2007, titled Twist-To-LockAnchoring Fastener.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The field hereof is mounting systems, in particular to methods andapparatus for mounting fasteners to hollow walls and ceilings.

2. Prior Art

Most walls and ceilings of residential and commercial structures have ahollow cavity construction, i.e., there is a hollow space behind thewall. The wall comprises a sheet of material, typically between 1 and2.54 cm thick, affixed to a suitable frame which includes wood or metalframing members (studs or joists). These are typically spaced on 41 or61 cm centers. Such sheet material is sold, e.g., under the trademarkSHEETROCK by United States Gypsum Co., Chicago, and is known genericallyas drywall, wallboard, plasterboard, and gypsum board. Another lesscommon wall and ceiling material with similar characteristics is plasterapplied over a lath substrate. In the discussion below, the term “wall”includes ceilings.

A variety of fasteners are commercially available for attaching,hanging, or securing objects such as pictures, mirrors, shelving,cabinetry, towel racks, handrails and other objects to a wall at alocation other than over the area where a framing member is located.Such fasteners can be divided into two main and general types: toggleand expansion.

Toggle fasteners generally comprise two components. The first componenthas spreading or tilting arms and is inserted with the arms folded intoa drilled hole in the wall material. The second component, typically ascrew or pin, is inserted into a hole in the first component and suchinsertion activates the first component by causing the arms to tilt orspread within the hollow space behind the wall, thereby locking thefastener in place on the wall.

Expansion fasteners are generally secured by causing their diameter toincrease. Some comprise a first component which is hammered into a wallor inserted into a pre-drilled hole. A second component such as a pin orscrew is forced into a central, cylindrical cavity within the fastener,increasing its diameter.

In addition to these two main types, a third type has tangs whichspringably expand to resist pull-out of the fastener.

The toggle and expansion fasteners suffer from significantdisadvantages. These include the need for drilling the wall for thefastener, difficulty in tightening properly since over-torquing thefastener or the screw often results in much damage and hence failure ofthe wall, and/or an unsightly oversized hole when the fastener isremoved from such an over-torqued condition. Some of these fasteningsystems are also non-removable or are difficult to remove withoutleaving a large, unsightly hole in the wall. In addition, expansionfasteners crush the friable drywall material, limiting the grip of thedevice in the wall. Fasteners which are hammered into the wallfrequently cause “blow-out”, or local fracturing, of the wall material,again limiting the grip of the device in the wall and leaving anunsightly or relatively large hole at the fastener site.

The above copending '093 and '896 applications use a hinged anchor withan insertable activating member. These are superior in many respects tothe above anchors but are not optimal because, while they significantlyreduce blow-out of the wall, they still may tend to cause some damageand are not as robust as possible.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one preferred embodiment, a fastener comprises a wallanchor section and a pivotable section or tip. The two sections arejoined by an integral or “living” hinge or bending member. After thewall anchor section is seated, the pivotable section is forced to pivotat a bisecting line by a screw or pin, thereby causing the pivotablesection to rest against the inside surface of the wall and securing thefastener.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one aspect of a preferred embodiment.

FIGS. 2 through 5 are respectively front, bottom, side, and top views ofthe embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 6 through 8 show insertion of the embodiment of FIG. 1 into awall.

FIGS. 9 through 12 show activation of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

100 Shaft 101 First Portion 102 Second Portion 105 Tip 110 Flat CamFollower Surface 111 Cupped Cam Follower 112 Arm 114 Line 115 Fin 120Body 125 Head 126 Indicium 130 Bendable Region 131 Column 135 Bore 600Wallboard 605 Layer 610 Outer Layer 615 Inner Layer 900 Screw 905 WasherOr Other Flat Annulus

Preferred Embodiment Description FIGS. 1 Through 5

This anchor embodiment is intended to be driven or pushed into a wall orceiling by a hammer or other instrument. No previously drilled hole isrequired. The anchor comprises a shaft 100 (FIG. 1) with a first andfront portion 101 (FIG. 4) and a second, adjacent portion 102 to therear of portion 101. The rear portion includes a body 120, and a head125 with an indicium or fiducial 126 (FIG. 2) on its rear, or outer,surface. An imaginary line 114 (FIG. 5) on shaft 100 bisects the anchorand is provided to indicate where portion 102 of the anchor pivots inuse, as will be explained infra.

Shaft 100 has a pointed tip 105 (FIG. 1) at the front or leading end andlever arm 112 (FIGS. 4, 5) at the rear end. Arm 112 generally has acylindrical shape and extends from the rear end of shaft 100 to pivotline 114. Arm 112 includes two cam follower surfaces. A first and flatcam follower surface 110 is located at the rear end of arm 112. A secondand cupped cam follower surface 111 is located midway between the rearend of arm 112 and pivot line 114. The cupped shape of surface 111 opensrearward toward surface 110.

A pair of sharpened fins 115 flare outward from shaft 100 beginning atthe rear of portion 101 and extending continuously to head 125. Fins 115are contiguous with shaft 100 in region 102. They are contiguous withbody 120 over its entire length. Bendable connecting regions 130 in eachof fins 115 separate shaft 100 from body 120. Shaft 100 and body 120 arejoined by fins 115 and bendable strengthening columns 131, alsoextending over regions 130. Regions 130 are contiguous with fins 115 asthey bridge region 130, forming a bendable portion of the anchor. Body120 and head 125 include a bore 135.

Portion 101 of shaft 100 has a constant diameter over its length. Thelength of this portion is approximately equal to or greater than thethickness of the wallboard material into which the anchor is to beinserted. This reduces blow-out of the wall material because there is nolarger body following tip 105 until the wall material has been fullypenetrated. The diameter of portion 102 of shaft 100 tapers linearlyfrom that of the portion 101 to that of body 120.

Fins 115 have a knife-like outer edge which can be smooth or serrated tocut through wallboard material. Over their length, the fins arecontiguous with shaft 100 and with body 120. At their base, fins 115gradually increase in thickness from zero at the front end of region 102to about 3.5 mm at head 125. Over the same distance, fins 115 increasein height from zero to approximately 5 mm. Their gradual increase inwidth and thickness permit fins 115 to slice through wallboard materialswithout tearing or blowout. The gradual cutting action of the finsallows the body mass to be slowly introduced to ensure minimumdisturbance to the drywall. At their widest point at the rear of theanchor, fins 115 are joined to head 125.

The angle, α, of tip 105 (FIG. 3) is preferably between 35 and 80degrees, although other angles can be used if required. Angles withinthis range penetrate the surface paper of wallboard best, and are leastapt to cause blow-out of the wall material. Although tip 105 has aconical shape, other shapes can be used.

The anchor is preferably at least 48 mm long, although other lengths canbe used. The diameters of shaft 100 and head 125 are typically 3.50 mmand 15.00 mm, although other sizes can be used. The diameter of bore 135is 3.50 mm, although other diameters can be used. The length of body 120is selected to be approximately equal to the thickness of the wallboardinto which the anchor will be installed, as described below. The anchoris made of a durable plastic material such as polyamide orpolycarbonate, although other materials such as metal can be used.

Operation FIGS. 6 Through 12—Installation

FIGS. 6 through 8 show the progress of an installation of an anchor intoa wallboard 600, prior to activation. Wallboard 600 normally comprises agypsum layer 605 that is sandwiched between front and rear paper layers610 and 615, respectively. Prior to installation in wallboard 600, theanchor is oriented so that indicium 126 (FIG. 2) points upward. Thiswill ensure that shaft 100 is oriented vertically with tip 105 pointingupward after installation is complete. FIG. 6 shows tip 105 penetratingfront paper layer 610 and gypsum layer 605 under the urging of anexternally applied force, such as hammer blows.

In FIG. 7, the externally applied force has urged the anchor throughwallboard 600 so that tip 105 has passed through wallboard 600, causinglittle or no blowout. As described above, portion 101 of shaft 100 issufficiently long that tip 105 has exited layer 615 of wallboard 600before portion 102 enters and begins to displace the material inwallboard 600. Thin, nail-like portion 101 follows nail-like tip 105,thereby creating a pilot hole through which larger portion 102 and body120 of the anchor can travel without causing substantial damage towallboard 600. Fins 115 have begun slicing into wallboard 600 with avery slight angle of attack that gradually increases as the anchor isinserted in to wallboard 600, thereby gently introducing the slightlylarger streamlined body volume of portion 102 into the pilot holecreated by tip 105 and shaft 100. Fins 115 prevent rotation of theanchor from this point onward. Fins 115 create a larger surface or flatbearing area inside the wall to provide greater load bearing capacityand prevent the anchor from rotating after installation.

During insertion into wallboard 600, bendable regions 130 in fins 115and strengthening columns 131 experience only axial forces and thereforeremain straight, i.e., not-bent, in their initial configuration.

In FIG. 8, the anchor is fully inserted into wallboard 600 so that thefront side of head 125 is pressed against the wallboard, preventingfurther insertion. The previously applied force is discontinued. Body120 is just long enough to extend through wallboard 600. The front partsof the anchor (tip 105, first and second portions 101 and 102, andregion 130) extend forwardly from the back or unseen side of thewallboard.

FIGS. 6 Through 12—Activation

FIGS. 9 through 12 show the progress or steps of activation of theanchor after its installation into wallboard 600. FIGS. 9 through 11 arecross-sectional side views of the anchor and FIG. 12 is an externalview.

In FIG. 9, the anchor is installed in wallboard 600 as shown in FIG. 8and is ready for activation. A screw 900 is positioned at the entranceof bore 135. Screw 900 has a thread diameter sufficient to rotatablyinterfere with bore 135, i.e., screw 900 is self-threading in bore 135.Alternatively, bore 135 can be supplied with threads that match screw900. Screw 900 preferably has a pan or flat-tipped head as shown,although convex or concave tips can be used. Instead of a screw, anotherkind of activating member can be used, such as a pin that is slidablyurged into bore 135. An object-holding washer 905 or other flat annulusto be secured to wallboard 600 is slid over screw 900 prior to insertingscrew 900 into bore 135. Washer 905 can have a hook on its bottom side(not shown) for holding a picture-hanging wire, or can be any otherobject having a flat annulus, wire, or other portion which can be hungon the screw 900.

In FIG. 10, screw 900 has been rotatably advanced into the anchor andits flat end has contacted cam follower surface 110, forcibly urgingsurface 110 away from body 120. As surface 110 moves away from body 120,fins 115 and columns 131 are forced to curvably bend at regions 130,thereby forming a pair of straps that extend across line 114 (FIG. 5)about which shaft 100 pivots.

If the thickness of wallboard 600 is equal to the length of body 120,region 130 will execute a gradual bend adjacent portion 102 of theanchor, as shown in FIG. 12. This bend is approximately 90 degrees.

If the thickness of wallboard 600 is greater than the length of body120, and less than the combined length of body 120 and region 130,region 130 will execute a more gradual bend, nearer the tip end of theanchor, than shown in FIG. 12. I.e., line 114 will move toward tip 105within region 130. This bend ranges from approximately 90 degrees toslightly more than 90 degrees—around 100 degrees.

If the thickness of wallboard 600 is less than the length of body 120,region 130 will execute a sharper bend than shown in FIG. 12. This bendranges from approximately 90 degrees or slightly less than 90 degrees(around 80 degrees), thus allowing the shaft 100 and tip to reach backand press against the wall, securing the anchor.

Thus the anchor can accommodate wallboard thicknesses that range fromless than the length of body 120 to those nearly equal to the combinedlength of body 120 and region 130. This permits one anchor to be usedfor multiple thicknesses of wallboard. In all cases it is desirable thatshaft 100 rotate through an angle sufficient for at least one point onshaft 100 to bear against inner surface 615 of wallboard 600 afteractivation.

In FIG. 11, screw 900 is fully advanced into the anchor. As it movesinto the anchor, screw 900 first encounters cam follower surface 110,urging this surface away from body 120 and beginning to rotate shaft 100upward. As screw 900 advances, surface 110 moves away, allowing the tipof screw to move down into the cup shape of cam follower surface 111.The cup shape of surface 111 aids in capturing, centering and guidingscrew 900 as it moves along the axis of the anchor, and also causesshaft 100 to further rotate upward.

As screw 900 continues to move into the anchor, screw 900 moves pastsurface 111 and comes into contact with the top portion of surface 110,which presents screw 900 with a longer lever arm than offered by cammingsurface 111 and thereby provides a greater moment of force which can beapplied, urging shaft 100 to continue to rotate until it assumes anapproximately vertical or past-vertical position where it is lodgedagainst inner surface layer 615 of wallboard 600. Screw 900 is nowresting in the grooved surface of surface 110. This groove provides aguide to ensure that the screw 900 does not leave its centered position.At this point, washer 905 is securely attached to and cannot be pulledout from wallboard 600 and installation and activation of the anchor arecomplete.

FIG. 12 is an external view of the anchor, showing the bending of region130 (comprising fins 115 and columns 131) to an angle of at least 90degrees, so that shaft 100 rests firmly against inside surface 615 ofwallboard 600. The loads applied to the anchor by washer 905 arehorizontal (pull out) and vertical (shear). The resultant vector ofthese forces applies a clockwise torque to body 120 which is resisted byan equal counterclockwise torque exerted against vertically-orientedshaft 100 by surface 615 of wallboard 600. Thus the anchor is securelyfixed in wallboard 600. Horizontally oriented fins 115 create a largesurface area within wallboard 600 to resist shear, rotational, andvertical forces as well.

Since indicium 126 (FIG. 2) was oriented at the top before the anchorwas driven into the wallboard, cam followers 110 and 111 are oriented onthe upper side of the axis of camming screw 900 so that screw 900 willforce the forward portion of the anchor to bend upwardly as the screw isinserted, The upwardly bent, forward portion will press against theinside of wallboard 605 (FIG. 12) when downward force is applied toscrew 900 by washer 905 or any object hung thereon.

The anchor can optionally be inserted with indicium 126 facing downwardso that when the anchor is activated shaft 100 rotates downward, insteadof upward. This orientation is preferable when anchoring large shearloads.

FIGS. 13 Through 17-Features that Reduce or Eliminate Blow-Out DuringInstallation

Using standard paper-sided, gypsum wallboard material, it has beenexperimentally determined that blowout of wallboard 600 does not occurwhen the diameter of shaft 100, with tip 105 as described above, is lessthan or equal to approximately 4.2 mm. The diameters of shaft 100, body120 and head 125 are preferably 3.5, 6, and 15 mm, respectively,although other diameters can be used. In any case, the diameters of body120 and head 125 are generally greater than that of shaft 100.Therefore, body portion 102 and fins 115 must be shaped properly inorder to minimize or prevent blow-out due to their size.

Forces perpendicular to the plane of wallboard 600: Blow-out resultsfrom tearing of paper layers 605 and 610, and disruption of the friablegypsum layer 605 of wallboard 600. This disruption is caused bycompressive and other forces within layer 605, near rear surface layer615 that are exerted when the anchor is forced through wallboard 600.Compressive forces within wallboard 600 result when an object, such asshaft 100, penetrates layer 610 of wallboard 600 and compresses gypsummaterial 605. In addition, tensile (stretching) forces occur withinwallboard 600 when the anchor has been pushed about halfway throughwallboard 600 on its way to layer 615. From about this point onward theanchor tends to push out the back portion of material 605 adjacent backpaper layer 615, as well layer 615 itself. This action exerts a pullingor tensile force on the front portion of material 605 and, to someextent, front paper layer 610. These forces are mainly perpendicular towallboard 600. They are generally more destructive and disruptive thanthe compressive forces since the compressive forces are transmittedthroughout the wallboard material, but the force against the backportion of material 605 and paper layer 615 meets less backup resistanceand thus tend to cause greater disruption. In order to reduce blow-out,these disruptive forces must be kept to a minimum.

During installation of a wall anchor, compressive forces occur at thepoint of entry of the anchor at layer 610, while tensile forces occur atthe back side, or exit point of the anchor at layer 615, of wallboard600. These forces are perpendicular to the plane of wallboard 600.Compressive forces tend to strengthen wallboard 600, while tensileforces weaken it. This is seen when a blunt object with diameter greaterthan about 5 mm is driven into wallboard 600. Layer 610 at the entrypoint of the object is generally undamaged, while at the exit pointlayer 615 is torn and the material in layer 605 crumbles and falls away.

Forces parallel to the plane of wallboard 600: During installation of awall anchor, displacement of wallboard layers 605, 610, and 615 parallelto the plane of wallboard 600 is compressive only. These compressiveforces can actually strengthen wallboard 600 by compacting the gypsummaterial in inner layer 605.

Disruption of Wallboard by Anchor Portion 102

FIGS. 7 and 13 respectively show side and top views of the insertion ofshaft 100 into wallboard 600. Since shaft 100 has a diameter less thanthe critical 4.2 mm, there is no blow-out of wallboard 600 due to theinsertion of shaft 100.

FIG. 8 shows the anchor fully seated with head 125 in contact with layer610 of wallboard 600. At the right end of the anchor, body 120 has thesame diameter along its entire length. Thus, once portion 102 has passedthrough wallboard 600, body 120 slides into place with little or noforce being applied to wallboard 600 by body 120 during insertion of theanchor. It is important to reduce the perpendicular tensile force withinwallboard 600 during insertion, yet it is necessary to increase thediameter of the anchor from portion 101 of shaft 100 to that of body120. The diameter of portion 102, not including fins 115, has increasedfrom about 3.5 mm at portion 101 of shaft 100 to about 6 mm at body 120.Thus the change in diameter has a horizontal and a vertical component. Alinear slope in portion 102 provides the least disruptive horizontaltensile force during insertion of the anchor.

If the vertical component occurs in a single step, blow-out of wallboard600 is very likely to occur since all of the horizontal insertion forcewill be exerted at the leading edge of the step. This cause of blow-outis discussed further below in connection with FIG. 17.

Disruption of Wallboard by Fins 115

FIG. 13 shows fins 115 at the start of region 102, as indicated in FIG.4. FIG. 14 shows fins 115 near head 125, also as indicated in FIG. 4.The cross-section of fins 115 is similar to that of a knife blade. Fins115 are designed to slice into wallboard 600 and compress layer 605progressively in the plane of wallboard 600 as the anchor is inserted.

FIGS. 15 and 16 respectively show the anchor as the fins are enteringwallboard 600, and as the anchor is fully seated in wallboard 600.

In order to maintain the strength of the anchor in bending region 130,fins 115 must be as wide as possible in this region. Yet to firmlysecure the anchor in wallboard 600, the outer edges of fins 115 must benearly parallel to the axis of the anchor at body 120. Thus, in FIG. 15,the starting edges of fins 115 are parallel to the axis of the anchor,and in FIG. 16 the ending edges of fins 115, next to head 125, are alsonearly parallel to the axis of the anchor. Therefore fins 115 arearranged to slice into wallboard 600 to within 80 percent of their widthin region 102, leaving another 20 percent of slicing to be done in theremaining length of body 120. This compromise results in the maximumstrength of region 130 and the minimum horizontal force resisting entryof the anchor in the region of body 120.

As in the case of the diameter of shaft 100 in region 102, there are noabrupt changes in the width of fins 115, since any abrupt changes wouldonly meet resistance in wallboard 600 and result in blowout as theanchor is installed.

FIG. 17 shows the effect of abrupt changes in the width of fins 115 orportion 102 of shaft 100. The anchor has been seated in wallboard 600with no apparent damage to front layer 610. However, the abrupt changein width of region 102′ of shaft 100, indicated at 1700, and the abruptchange in width of fins 115′, indicated at 1705, have engaged thematerial comprising inner layer 605 of wallboard 600 and forced itbackwards. The backward force against layers 605 and 615 is tensilesince there is no restoring force applied against layer 615. Thusblow-out occurs and the anchor is only poorly secured. A failedinstallation has occurred since, while the anchor may appear normal tothe user, wallboard 600 has been severely damaged and weakened. Withwallboard 600 in this condition, the anchor could easily pull out of thewall.

Conclusions, Ramifications and Scope

The embodiment shown of our wall anchor provides several useful andadvantageous features. For example, the bendable region and fins areformed of a single unit. The tip and the rear portion of the shaft arethe same diameter, thereby reducing or eliminating blow-out of thewallboard. Installation is easily accomplished by tapping the anchorinto a wall or ceiling with a hammer. Activation is accomplished byinsertion of a standard, flat-tipped screw or pin. An improved anchorwith superior holding force results. Pull-out is prevented by the angledshaft while a screw is present; however the anchor can be removed bysimply removing the screw (which allows the shaft to straighten) andwithdrawing the anchor.

While the above description contains many specificities, these shouldnot be considered limiting but merely exemplary. Many variations andramifications are possible. For example, additional fins can beincorporated on the body, a lubricant can be applied to the outside ofthe anchor during insertion to facilitate entry into very hardmaterials, anchors can be supplied in cartridges to enable automaticinsertion by a gun. Instead of a flat-tipped screw, other screws havingpointed or cupped tips can be used. Instead of a screw, a smooth, rough,loose or tight-fitting pin or even a nail can be used in place of aflat-tipped screw. The anchor can be supplied in a variety of colors andsizes. The colors and sizes can be coordinated by a color code thatindicates the size of the anchor or the activating screw, or both.

While the present system employs elements which are individually knownto those skilled in the art of fastener fabrication, it combines andshapes these elements in a novel way which produces new results notheretofore discovered. Accordingly the scope should be determined, notby the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and theirlegal equivalents.

1. An anchoring fastener, comprising: a cylindrical body having frontand rear ends and a predetermined diameter, a head having a diametergreater than said predetermined diameter of said body and attached tosaid rear end of said body, a bore passing axially through said head andsaid body, a shaft having front and rear ends with respectively firstand second portions of approximately equal lengths, said first portionhaving a substantially constant diameter and terminating in a pointedtip at said front end, and said second portion having a diameter thatincreases from that of said first portion at said front end and becomesapproximately equal to said diameter of said body at said rear end andterminates in a lever arm with a fulcrum at said rear end, and aplurality of sharpened fins extending radially outward from said secondportion of said shaft and said body, and extending axially from saidsecond portion of said shaft to said head, said fins being joined tosaid second portion of said shaft, to said body, and to said head, andhaving a bendable portion extending axially across a region between saidshaft and said body, thereby joining said shaft and said body, wherebywhen said tip, said shaft, and said body are forced into a wall with aninner surface and an outer surface, said fastener will penetrate saidwall until said head is in contact with said outer surface of said wall,whereupon when an activating member is inserted into said bore and isurged against said fulcrum, said lever arm forces said fins to bend atsaid bendable portions of said fins, causing said shaft to rotate aboutsaid region until said shaft comes into contact with said inner surfaceof said wall, thereby securing said fastener against pullout from saidwall.
 2. The fastener of claim 1 wherein said fulcrum comprises firstand second camming surfaces.
 3. The fastener of claim 2 wherein saidsecond camming surface has a shape selected from the group consisting ofcupped and flat.
 4. The fastener of claim 1 wherein said fastener ismade from materials selected from the group consisting of plastics andmetals.
 5. The fastener of claim 1 wherein the angle of said tip has avalue between 35 and 80 degrees.
 6. The fastener of claim 1 wherein saidactivating member is selected from the group consisting of screws andpins.
 7. The fastener of claim 6 wherein said activating screw hassufficient diameter to be capable of self-threading within said bore. 8.The fastener of claim 1 wherein said bore is threaded.
 9. A method foranchoring an object to a wall, comprising: providing an anchoringfastener having a head with front and rear surfaces, a cylindrical bodyjoined to said head, a bore passing through said head and said body, ashaft with a cylindrical portion having a tip at the front end and atapered portion having first and second camming surfaces at the rearend, said cylindrical and said tapered portions being approximately thesame length, a plurality of sharpened fins extending radially outwardfrom and joining said shaft and said body, said fins forming a bendableregion between said shaft and said body, providing an activating member,selecting a location on a wall that has a hollow volume therebehind,said wall having outer and inner surfaces, passing said tip, said shaft,and said body through said wall until said front surface of said head isin contact with said outer surface of said wall, inserting saidactivating member into said bore and urging said activating member intocontact with said second and then said first camming surfaces, forcingsaid bendable region to bend, thereby rotating said shaft until saidshaft comes into contact with said inner surface of said wall, wherebysaid activating member can be secured within said fastener in ananchoring configuration.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein said secondcamming surface has shape selected from the group consisting of cuppedand flat.
 11. The method of claim 9 wherein said fastener is made frommaterials selected from the group consisting of plastics and metals. 12.The method of claim 9 wherein the angle of said tip has a value between35 and 80 degrees.
 13. The method of claim 9 wherein said activatingmember is selected from the group consisting of screws and pins.
 14. Themethod of claim 13 wherein said activating screw has sufficient diameterto be capable of self-threading within said bore.
 15. The method ofclaim 9 wherein said bore is threaded.
 16. A method for anchoring anobject to a wall, comprising: providing an anchoring fastener havingseparate distal section and proximal sections, said sections beinginitially collinear and joined at a bendable region by a plurality offins, said fins extending radially outward from said distal and saidproximal sections and tapered from front to rear, said proximal sectionfurther including a bore, said distal section further including acamming surface, inserting said fastener said distal section first intoa wall with a hollow volume therebehind, providing an activating member,urging said activating member into said bore and pushing against saidcamming surface, thereby forcing said distal section to rotate aboutsaid bendable region until said distal section comes into contact withsaid wall in said hollow volume, thereby securing said fastener and saidactivating member in said wall.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein saidsecond camming surface includes a cupped shape.
 18. The method of claim16 wherein said fastener is made from materials selected from the groupconsisting of plastics and metals.
 19. The method of claim 16 whereinsaid distal section includes a tip, the angle of said tip having a valuebetween 35 and 80 degrees.
 20. The method of claim 16 wherein saidactivating member is selected from the group consisting of screws andpins.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein said activating screw hassufficient diameter to be capable of self-threading within said bore.22. The method of claim 16 wherein said bore is threaded.
 23. Ananchoring fastener, comprising: a cylindrical body having front and rearends and a predetermined diameter, a head having a diameter greater thansaid predetermined diameter of said body and attached to said rear endof said body, a bore passing axially through said head and said body, ashaft having front and rear ends with respectively first and secondportions, said first portion having a substantially constant diameterand terminating in a pointed tip at said front end, and said secondportion having a diameter that increases from that of said first portionat said front end and becomes approximately equal to said diameter ofsaid body at said rear end and terminates in a lever arm with a fulcrumat said rear end, and a pair of sharpened fins extending radiallyoutward from said second portion of said shaft and said body, andextending axially from said second portion of said shaft to said head,said fins being joined to said second portion of said shaft, to saidbody, and to said head, and having bendable portions extending axiallyacross the region between said shaft and said body, thereby joining saidshaft and said body, a plurality of strengthening columns, contiguouswith said fins over said bendable portions and also joining said shaftand said body, whereby when said tip, said shaft, and said body areforced into a wall with an inner surface and an outer surface, saidfastener will remain not-bent and will penetrate said wall until saidhead is in contact with said outer surface of said wall, and when anactivating member is inserted into said bore and is urged against saidfulcrum, said lever arm forces said fins and said columns to bend atsaid region between said shaft and said body, thereby causing said shaftto rotate about said region until said shaft comes into contact withsaid inner surface of said wall so as to secure said fastener againstpullout from said wall.
 24. The fastener of claim 23 wherein said shaftis capable of rotating through an angle of at least 90 degrees.
 25. Thefastener of claim 23 wherein when said anchor is activated, said finsand said columns are bendable through an angle of at least 90 degrees.26. The fastener of claim 23 wherein said fulcrum comprises first andsecond camming surfaces.
 27. The fastener of claim 26 wherein saidsecond camming surface has a shape selected from the group consisting ofcupped and flat.
 28. The fastener of claim 23 wherein said fastener ismade from materials selected from the group consisting of plastics andmetals.
 29. The fastener of claim 23 wherein the angle of said tip has avalue between 35 and 80 degrees.
 30. The fastener of claim 23 whereinsaid activating member is selected from the group consisting of screwsand pins.
 31. The fastener of claim 30 wherein said activating screw hassufficient diameter to be capable of self-threading within said bore.32. The fastener of claim 23 wherein said bore is threaded.
 33. Ananchoring fastener, comprising: a cylindrical body having front and rearends and a predetermined diameter, a head having a diameter greater thansaid predetermined diameter of said body and attached to said rear endof said body, a bore passing axially through said head and said body, ashaft having front and rear ends with respectively first and secondportions of approximately equal lengths, said first portion having asubstantially constant diameter and terminating in a pointed tip at saidfront end, and said second portion having a diameter that increases at apredetermined rate from that of said first portion at said front end andbecomes approximately equal to said diameter of said body at said rearend and terminates in a lever arm with a fulcrum at said rear end, and aplurality of sharpened fins extending radially outward from said secondportion of said shaft and said body, and extending axially from saidsecond portion of said shaft to said head, said fins being joined tosaid second portion of said shaft, to said body, and to said head, andhaving a bendable portion extending axially across a region between saidshaft and said body, thereby joining said shaft and said body, said finsfurther increasing to a first predetermined amount of their full widthover the length of said second portion of said shaft, and increasingtherefrom to their full width at said head, whereby when said tip, saidshaft, and said body are forced into a wall with an inner surface and anouter surface, said fastener will penetrate said wall until said head isin contact with said outer surface of said wall, whereupon when anactivating member is inserted into said bore and is urged against saidfulcrum, said lever arm forces said fins to bend at said bendableportions of said fins, causing said shaft to rotate about said regionuntil said shaft comes into contact with said inner surface of saidwall, thereby securing said fastener against pullout from said wall. 34.The fastener of claim 33, wherein said predetermined rate is linear. 35.The fastener of claim 33, wherein said first predetermined amount isselected from the range consisting of sixty percent to one-hundredpercent.